Ex-Cowboy Underwood incompetent for trial
Posted on 02/07/2003 2:01:52 AM PST by MeekOneGOP
Ex-Cowboy Underwood incompetent for trial
02/07/2003
Former Cowboy Dimitrius Underwood, who was arrested on charges of robbing a paraplegic and assaulting an Irving police officer late last year, was deemed incompetent to stand trial Thursday by a jury.
Underwood, 25, will be transferred from the Lew Sterrett Justice Center to the North Texas State Hospital in Vernon, where he will remain for up to 120 days for treatment of bipolar disorder, said Price Stone, his attorney.
Magistrate Stephen Halsey ordered the confinement after jurors found that Underwood was unfit to stand trial because of his illness, Stone said.
The Dallas County jury made its decision after it heard from a psychiatrist who had evaluated Underwood weekly since he was arrested Nov. 4.
According to his defense attorney, Underwood is accused of robbing a paraplegic motorist and assaulting an Irving police officer.
Stone said the incident started when his client, thinking he was a police officer, begin directing traffic at an intersection. A paraplegic motorist "took umbrage with his slowing down traffic. ... He assumed ... [Underwood] was a panhandler and offered him a $5 bill. Dimitrius took this as a bribe and became enraged."
When Irving officers responded, Underwood was "totally out of control" and began to struggle, Stone said. He was arrested and taken to the county jail, Stone said.
Underwood, 25, will be transferred from the Lew Sterrett Justice Center to the North Texas State Hospital in Vernon, where he will remain for up to 120 days for treatment of bipolar disorder, said Price Stone, his attorney.
Vernon is a little Northwest of Wichita Falls, Texas...
|
|||||
|
|
After being in training camp for just one day, he disappeared and could not be located. Several days later he was found in Philadelphia. His agent, Craig Domann, assured the Vikings he would return. When his client did not show up, Domann admitted he was "perplexed" by Underwood's actions.
After telling Vikings coach Dennis Green that he wanted to pursue the ministry and had "no desire" to play football, Underwood was waived on August 11 and returned his $1.75 million signing bonus to the team.
After being released by the Vikings, Underwood was claimed on waivers by Miami. After meeting with Dolphins coach Jimmy Johnson, Underwood agreed to join the team and was slated to begin practice immediately. But the saga continued when Underwood missed a flight from Michigan to Fort Lauderdale and failed to show up for practice. During the Dolphins' off week, Underwood was arrested at the home of the mother of his twin 17-month-old children. Lansing police arrested him on a warrant accusing him of nonpayment of child support. A $500 bond was posted for him about three hours later, but Underwood refused to leave the jail for another hour, spending the time talking to another inmate.
Soon after his release, Underwood was found bleeding on a city street from what Lansing police described as a life-threatening injury. A police report said Underwood repeatedly yelled "I'm not worthy of God" before he used two steak knives to cut his throat at the Lansing home of his girlfriend and their 17-month-old twins. Underwood was saying, "You are Satan and you're going to hell" and "I want to be saved, I want to meet God," when officers arrived.
No one in the home saw him cut himself, but several people in the neighborhood saw him running down the street afterward. Physical evidence at the scene and witnesses' statements convinced police Underwood used the knife on himself.
Dimitrius' mother claimed that her son's apparent suicide attempt and erratic behavior were influenced by a "cult that's posing as a church" which Underwood began attending while he was at Michigan State. A young man who attended the same church as Dimitrius Underwood was then found dead in a cooler in a Michigan State dorm basement.
Underwood escaped from a psychiatric care facility in Florida. A police report claimed Underwood had stopped taking medicine for manic depression and did not wish to return to the facility.
"He wanted to be with his family in Philadelphia, so we thought it would be in his best interest to release him," Dolphins coach Jimmy Johnson said.
Soon after being picked up by the Dallas Cowboys, Dimitrius was picked up by a Texas state trooper for reckless driving. Underwood was clocked driving 95 mph in a 65 mph zone on Interstate 81. He was fined $1000 and his drivers license was suspended for 30 days. Underwood performed community service in Dallas and attended a driver improvement training course.
Underwood has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and thus is prone to making bad decisions, but is now on medication.
UPDATE: January 2001
CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. -- Troubled Dallas Cowboys defensive end Dimitrius Underwood tried to kill himself for the second time in about a year, this time by running into traffic twice on a busy suburban highway, police said. Underwood, 23, told police he "wanted to go to Jesus" after he was detained for kicking and denting a car and asking passers-by for a gun on Wednesday. Underwood was taken into custody and hospitalized, police said.
. . .agree and do not think 120 days is going to help.
Don't they ever just 'commit' people anymore?
If he harms someone 'off his meds'; why cannot he be held responsible; since he made the decision for not taking them. (believe same applies to anyone taking drugs and committing a crime. . .the crime starts with a choice. . .)
. . .Underwood sounds like a ticking time b--mb . .
Make that 'see #6'...
Nah. If they did that, the so-called "homeless advocates" might have to get real jobs.
That's a pretty good sign that Underwood's choo-choo has gone chugging around the bend. While he's staying at the mental ward, I'm sure his former teammates will make sure to send him plenty of crackers and nuts.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
